SFBAC of CLCA Tour Zanker Recycling

May 16, 2022

On May 12, 2022, the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of California Landscape Contractors Association went on a free tour of Zanker Recycling, 675 Los Esteros Road, San Jose. The tour started at 10 AM and end at 12 Noon with Zanker providing lunch. Over 30 people attended this event.

Safety comes first...

The group was very lucky to have as tour guide Jerame Renteria. He proved to be well informed about the various sites and answered the groups questions. Clearly knowing his subject well, he was an excellent spokes person for Zanker.

The group was also lucky to have a fine bus driver who even managed, without a backup camera, to make a 3-point U-turn inside the organics recycling building.

We were surprised to learn that 70% of the costs of running the site are tied up in transportation. Zanker Road Resource Management began operations of the Zanker Road Landfill in 1985 and was to be full in 5 years, but smart management has kept the site open.

Site 2—Know formerly as the Owens Corning Fiberglass Landfill, the Zanker Material Processing Facility’s focus is on Construction & Demolition Debris recycling.

Pictures taken out of the window of the bus don't turn out well, but the second image is of a pile of sheetrock that will be recycle for the gypsum and that recycled materials will then be used in the Central Valley by farmers.

Zanker Landscape Materials are the San Francisco Bay Area’s leader in organics recycling, and every year they divert over 500,000 tons of material from area landfills! Zero Waste Energy Development Company was founded with the goal of taking organics recovery to the next level and capturing the energy value of food discards, generating approximately 1.6KW of clean green renewable power.

The tour then went to the top of the hill for a walking tour of landscape materials that are sold to contractors and the public and then we had lunch before heading back to the main office and our vehicles.